


The Years We Shared

by MarcarellaPizza (orphan_account)



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - School, Childhood, Childhood Friends, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Princes & Princesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:28:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27295678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/MarcarellaPizza
Summary: Viktor felt his body seize, stiff unlike the grace that his limbs usually bore. “Yuuri was here?” He spluttered, eyes wide in surprise. There should have been no significance over such a trivial matter, Yuuri wasn’t bound to an oath with Viktor, and yet his childhood friend had been here and he hadn’t known…
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Kudos: 12





	1. The Years We Share

**Author's Note:**

> This is a really old draft, It goes back maybe three years ago know, so before you judge the cringey writing, please keep in mind that I haven't edited this. I won't be continuing it either but I'll leave a list of the things that I wanted to cover that I never did.
> 
> Additionaly, as weird as this story gets, it's a true story written as means for me to get stuff off my chest - Writing chracters in place of me and my friends helps... especialy in the instance where I don't particularly think many people have had to say goodbye becasue of er... Royal life.
> 
> Anyways, please enjoy this character insert into my life -- It sorta felt a bit like an anime so I wanted to share it in such a way.

There was once, many years ago, a time that Viktor Nikiforov was considered the most fantastical person you’d ever meet.

It was said that you’d feel his presence before you saw him, following along with the countless others who would be turning their heads towards the same direction. It was like a talent, to command wordlessly with what could have only been an alluring aura, and there was almost no one that could escape his captivating gaze; with his bedazzling blue eyes enchanting anyone they’d cross sight with. The blue pools were vibrant, so much so that others were convinced they were hexed, placed with magic that were almost as captivating as that of fictitious merfolk. 

Most of the children that’d encountered him could tell you they believed Viktor to be a prince, described using a pallet of etherealness, for anything less would have almost seemed unworthy.

They could tell you of light footwork and graceful movements seemingly wired through his bones, how his character could shift as if water. Viktor could stumble or flail and even when tripping over nothing but air, the girls in his class would swoon. 

From his teachers, he was labeled committed; to the schoolwork he’d been given, to his friends that he’d had and he was said to be honest, a lie never leaving his lips less he wanted to taint his morals. For a child preening at attention, he’d been spontaneous and sensitive, all the while able to effortlessly charm anyone he’d meet. 

And so for a moment, many years ago, the boy flourished. He’d flash his charming smile, flipped his hair of rich colour; Viktor could captivate even the most beautiful of sirens and their songs.

“Well if it isn’t Mr Peacock.”

Viktor rolled his eyes, snorting at the absurd name. From behind him, the heavy footfalls of one of his friends drew near. None of the other kids would have dared to compare such character with that of a bird, but thankfully Chris hadn’t been one of the “other kids” in the slightest. He was one of the few that Viktor had the privilege of getting to know incredibly well over the past couple of years, having ended up in the same class the year prior. 

“It won’t be long now and then we’ll all be the little fish in a big pond again.” The Swiss boy grinned, blinking thick eyelashes in a show of boast. He snorted as Viktor stared back in response, a frown tugging at his lips and green envy painting his skin. “You looking forward to next year mon amie?”

A surreptitious smile found a place on his features as Viktor swooped down to fold his legs beneath him, seating himself on the ground at Chris’ side. He didn’t answer immediately, taking the time to consider the question as he wiped with a worn sleeve at the large stone embedded in the grass. It had been the ideal spot; perfectly smooth and large enough for their group of six to settle on at every lunch. “Well yeah.” He finally agreed, the accent in his throat tainting his speech like a spell. “Highschool is the most important part of education, and obviously we’ll be the smallest of the bunch again.”

The Swiss boy giggled in excitement, progressively bouncing in his place with the jitters. “You excited for… the thing?” His voice dipped, lowering in volume and privy to those that could overhear. Their lunch boxes sat untouched, unmoving as they waited for the remainder of their friends.

Viktor knew what the brunette had been referring to, it’d been the only thing Chris had spoken of all year, and yet now that the end of the schooling year was fast approaching, the reality of it all was ever creeping. “What, boyfriends and girlfriends?” Viktor feigned innocence. Chris nodded his head vigorously.

“Yep! I’m going to find the prettiest mademoiselle or monsieur and woo them with my appeal!” He struck a pose in demonstration, an eye closed and lips pursed, as if about to send Viktor a flying kiss. It would have been effective, Viktor thought, if he himself were interested in his friend. The act was cut short however, by the snort of another, causing the Swiss to pout in protest. “You think you can do better Yuri?”

From their left, in amidst the overgrown grass that surrounded them, a blonde boy, far shorter and smaller than either Chris or Viktor, made giant strides to cross the sea of green. On his back was a small, yellow strap bag made of fabric and zippers that clattered, lunch most likely rustling freely inside. Yuri was another of their small group and the youngest of all, often teased by Viktor for his delayed growth spurt.

“I’m not going to waste time flirting and trying to… to kiss and make out with people! There’s studying to do and you should do it!” He threw himself carelessly into the space free at Viktor’s right, wiggling to reach for his lunch. “Dating is stupid anyway, all you do is kiss and hug and that’s lame.”

Viktor raised an eyebrow, allowing for disbelief to cross his face. He blinked twice, simply staring, watching as the boy shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. When nothing more came of the conversation, his heart squeezed — oh the innocence Yuri had! “There’s more to it than that, Yura.” He said, turning to nod at Chris. “I thought that was common knowledge?”

“Haven’t you ever wanted to like… you know… do stuff with someone else?” Chris frowned, puzzled as he searched for the right words.

“Wha?” Yuri screwed up his face, confusion settling there as he stared. “What stuff?”

“Oh.” Viktor hummed, amused in the development of their conversation. They’d need to rectify that and soon. “Well we can't really talk about it here cause someone might overhear…”

Chris let out a low laugh as Viktor turned his body away sharply, knowingly protecting himself from the small ball of rage that Yuri was. With grit teeth, the blonde predictably pounced and latched onto the other’s arm. He shook him, screeching in demand for answers that piqued his interest. “Tell me!” He yelled, directly into the drum of Viktor’s ear, but all that escaped the other’s lips were peals of amused laughter. “VIKTOR!”

In the distance from across the grass sea, in the same direction they’d all come from, three girls wandered over to the commotion on display. A matching set of lunch boxes, one red, blue and yellow lay rest in each set of hands, their faces devoid of any surprise at the bickering before them. The last half of the odd friend group had arrived.

“What happened this time?” The girl on the right asked, tan skin and dark hair covered in grass blood. Sara was the most energetic of all three, and had seemingly decided to forego freshening up after soccer practice that morning. Beside her, the two other girls lowered their eyelids at half mast, unimpressed.

Viktor whispered something to Yuri, turning afterwards to hastily flash his blinding smile.The three girls walking had not heard what he’d said, but frowned nonetheless. It was a fruitless attempt and he knew it; there was no going about charming those who knew you best. 

“Yuri was just saying that he'll miss us next year.” Chris smoothly cut in, a wink thrown into the sentence with ease. Yuri grumbled from his spot, moving so that Sara could sit next to him, and held his tongue as Chris lied in his stead.

“Oh don’t talk about that!” Yuuko whined, a pout pulling at her bottom lip. She shuffled towards Chris and took her place, throwing her auburn ponytail over her shoulder as she went. “We’ll all still be friends.” the girl nodded, a hand clasped tight around Chris and Sara’s shoulders, “We have social media and our numbers! It’ll be fine!”

Viktor shrugged in agreement, finally picking up his lunchbox to devour its contents. On the other side of Chris and he sat Mila, the red haired girl who’d yet to speak. She waved a hand in response to Yuuko’s statement, mouth full of food as she chewed hastily. As a consequence, she coughed, whacking her chest before grinning easily. “We’re all friends, come on, it’s not gonna fall apart.” Her determined expression left no room for protest. 

“And we’ll organise meet ups!” Chris added.

“I think study sessions would be good.” Yuri agreed.

“And we’ll go to each other’s school dances!” Sara sighed, a hand placed over her forehead dramatically, “Can you imagine? All of us older and still friends?” 

Viktor remained silent, fingers fiddling with his apple slices as he listened. To potential plans and group meetups, to days scheduled in for video calling. It felt strange, to know that soon, they’d never be here at their spot ever again.

Once upon a time, as ironic as it may have sounded, Viktor believed that a happy ending would be guaranteed for those who were good and had faith. He’d naively believed in the morals and fairytales of his childhood, had lived by them and protected them with each reference he’d been bestowed in comparison to.

He was a prince, a fae, a sorcerer, a magic wielder; anyone and everyone who saw him had said there was an enchanting aura to his nature that just dragged you in.

But in his mind he’d felt bitter, glum about the inevitable parting of ways for their group. There was no happy ending to this scenario, he couldn’t fathom one. And it wasn’t that he’d wanted to forget them all together, that’d be practically impossible anyway with Chris going to the same school as himself, and Mila, Yuuko and Yuri all attending their sister highschool too. Even Sara would be at the girl school down the road from his house. 

And yet, the worry and the bitterness couldn’t, wouldn’t leave him. Viktor wished that in times like these, he truly could be capable of spell casting. Maybe then he’d be able to secure their strong bond, provide the promised happily every after for those of good faith...

“Mr Peacock Prince~” Chris’ voice chided, drawing Viktor back to their present. He blinked slowly, head tilting as he smiled. “You look like you’ve got a million weights on your shoulders, what’s the problem?”

Five pairs of eyes glued themselves to Viktor’s body, each set boring holes into his being that petrified him like a jinx. It was strange, almost foreign, for him to have been on the receiving end of such experience, and yet here Viktor was, biting his lip and wishing that they’d looked anywhere else.

“I don’t think we’ll be friends after here.” He said truthfully. Viktor was an honest boy — he’d never lie.

“I think you’re wrong.” Sara grinned, a challenge in her voice. “We’re super close, we just gotta put in the effort which I know we’ll commit to.” 

Commitment. Viktor could do commitment.

But he surprised himself instead when he shook his head, suddenly more determined to prove his point. “That’s true, but I still don’t think we will.” There was a beat of silence. “Like maybe you three will, and maybe Chris and I will… but apart from that we’re all going to seperate.”

No one spoke as he shrugged, head down.

Viktor was supposed to be committed.

“You’re gonna be wrong.” Yuri snorted, the first to recover from such claims. The tension of the moment slipped away as he declared his trustworthiness, boldfully going against their friend’s word. “You’ll see, we’ll be fine. And then I’m gonna scream the biggest, fattest, ‘I told you so’ ever.”

The group chuckled at Yuri’s outburst, a chorus of agreement overlapping each other. “After all, why would we give up after knowing each other all this time?” Chris pointed out, smugly nudging Viktor’s side. The girls hummed in agreement, with Yuri crossing his arms to make a point.

Viktor bit his lip with a huff of flustered uncertainty. “Oh I dunno.” He babbled, hands waving animatedly as he spoke. “I was just saying it’s possible you know? Obviously we wouldn’t though, you’re right, we’ve known each other for years.”

He picked up his lunchbox, fingers blindly grabbing for another apple slice and scraping the bottom of plastic. When he’d been unsuccessful, he dropped his gaze, confusion becoming realisation when he’d found the box empty. Around him, his friends too had just about finished their own lunches, tucking their containers away for safekeeping.

“— he moved away in 2nd grade I think? Chris, do you remember who I’m talking—“

It’ll be fine. Viktor repeated inwardly, shut off from whatever conversation their group had decided to move onto next. Perhaps if he’d closed himself off and focused hard enough, he could tap into some secret power he’d never known he’d had. ”We’ll be fine.” he whispered, for no one but his own reassurance. 

There was no magic when he’d muttered, no tingling sensations or surges of power, the only thing he’d felt was the slip of a lie past his lips. Viktor never lied.

“— Ah no, I really don’t remember anyone like that?” Chris’ voice overlapped Viktor’s thoughts, drowning out any further attempts at spell casting. “Where did he go back to?”

“Ah I can’t remember… I think somewhere in Asia.” Yuuko nodded, a finger pressed to her lip in thought. She hummed, contemplatively overlooking the small group before allowing her eyes to rest. “Viktor! You remember Yuuri right? The asain boy who—“

“Yuuri Katsuki?” Viktor cocked his head to the side, fists clenched tightly. The previous discussion about their happily ever after had been left forgotten.

The remainder of their group puzzled themselves with the question of who it was that Yuuko had referred to, taking it in turns to try recalling what the mysterious boy might have looked like. “Yes! You do know him! Finally!” Yuuko cheered in delight.

“Yeah he was my childhood friend.” Viktor shrugged, a shoulder bobbing as he spoke. “We met when we were like… 2? I can’t remember… he moved to Japan.”

“That’s right!” The rest of the group watched on, unsure how else to contribute to the conversation. “I saw him last month when he’d come for a visit.”

Viktor felt his body seize, stiff unlike the grace that his limbs usually bore. “Yuuri was here?” He spluttered, eyes wide in surprise. There should have been no significance over such a trivial matter, Yuuri wasn’t bound to an oath with Viktor, and yet his childhood friend had been here and he hadn’t known…

“Yeah, our moms are close.” Yuuko giggled sweetly, a hand waving nonchalantly.

“So is mine!” Viktor leaped to declare. His chest throbbed with every pounding heartbeat that thud against his rib cage, excitement coursing through his veins. In the distance he was sure he could hear Chris whispering to the girls and Yuri, something to do with a love struck fool.

Viktor couldn’t have cared less.

Of all the fantastical stories, his tale with Yuuri had been the sweetest. A story of friendship and bonds, surpassing time and distance themselves. It’d been the sort of friendship you’d hear about in fairytales, with an ending so incredible it couldn’t have been believed. 

“I haven’t seen him in a while though…” Viktor corrected himself, a smile placed delicately on his lips. His body lowered dejectedly, eyes dulling but going unnoticed. Yuuko continued to chatter.

“He was such a sweet boy!”  
Except it hadn’t been sweetness that concluded their fable, because unlike most bedtime stories that began with ‘Once upon a time’, there'd been no ‘happily ever after’ awaiting them. In reality, Viktor was convinced that perhaps this is what had been the trigger to such pessimistic thoughts, the reason why he no longer believed in such good things. 

So, Viktor had gone on, past the boundaries of the book’s page as an ethereal beauty, with shining silver hair and hypnotic blue eyes, living a fairytale that’d been concluded with an ugly, horrid, ‘the end’. In denial, he’d chased after those fleeting feelings for years after Yuuri’d left, for the thrill of adventures, ones that always surpassed anything a fairytale could conjure.

“Yeah, I haven’t seen Yuuri since either.” Yuuko sighed quietly, a hand pressed against her cheek in disappointment. Viktor nodded along, blending in with their friend’s condolences and bitter smiles. Dwelling now on a discontinued chapter would do nothing to help him.


	2. Pretend Play

Yuuko liked to carry a book in her bag. A big book. A really, really big book, Viktor would choose to say. So big, he reckoned it could replace the missing brick in one of the fourth grader classroom walls. 

He liked the book, it was one of his favourites because it was the longest book he could actually read without any help, in English. That wasn’t to say that Viktor couldn’t read, he was old enough to know the basics of course; it was rather the fact that his Russian at this point, was significantly better than his second language.

His favorite book that Yuuko had held were fairy tales, similar to the old, worn out copy of his own back home. What more could you expect from a fairy-like prince? There was no question really as to why it was Yuuko’s favourite either, she’d drag it with her wherever she’d go, pink and white cover shining brightly within her arms. It was always expected, like an unspoken agreement, that she'd single the silver boy out during their snack break, and they’d sit in the corner to read together.

Yuuko could recognise the words “once upon a time” and “happily ever after, the end.” And could even say them along with Viktor as he pointed them out. She’d started to learn other parts of the story, and sometimes butchered words that she’d thought she’d known, but it didn’t matter so long as she had her friend to correct her.

They’d stay, head knocked against head and they’d pour over the thick pages coloured with magic. For parts that they couldn’t understand, they’d infer from the pictures, guessing what the small chunks that they’d miss were. Viktor had easily decided that Rapunzel was the best, falling in love with the dedication the prince had for the girl in the tower. 

“Reading again you two?” Their teacher would ask, a tall woman with cheekbones as sharp as her heels. Miss Baranovskaya was strict, stern and controlling, a leader for her class for the year. Her shadow had been a demon that every child feared, a dark and foreboding presence that lingered, but Yuuko and Viktor had soon learnt otherwise, finding a commonality with their love of reading stories.

“We like Rapunzel.” Yuuko had explained, a bright smile on her lips. Her hands raised to show off the page they’d been stuck on. 

“We don’t know word but.” Viktor quipped.

“It’s ‘But we don’t know the word’ Viktor, don’t forget your article words.” Miss Baranovskaya corrected, bending to swoop down to their level. Then she moved, reaching across to point with a manicured nail at the sentence they’d indicated, finger trailing as she explained. “This says ‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, for I may climb without a stair’. See how it rhymes? That’s because it sounds nice and flowy and magical, like a fairytale.” Viktor’s eyes had sparkled in excitement, committing the explanation to memory. He would be sure to remember such an important technique for the future. 

“Thank you Miss!’ Yuuko had managed, not addressing her by name as a way of avoiding the pronunciation of such difficult letters.

“Thank you Miss Baranovskaya.” Viktor grinned. He could say it, he was Russian after all.

During recess and lunch, they’d spend the time playing fairies and princesses with the other children, inspired by the book that Yuuko carried, and those who didn’t want to be either of the two, would end up being the noble knights and princes. 

Viktor was always, always, the princess Sara’s “favourite prince brother”, especially after the girl’s true brother, Michele, had decided he didn’t want to be her “other prince brother” in their game. That was okay, Viktor thrived in magical games like he was born to play the part. No one would object to it either.

The story wasn’t ever entirely consistent, with Yuri and Chris switching roles whenever they pleaded and the plot shifting every recess. But it was rather fun to be treated so highly, as if his looks actually declared him a true prince of royal blood, so Viktor made no question about it.

“I’ll start by commanding my trusted knight Chris, to seek out the magic fountain!” Mila had declared, standing beside Sara dutifully. She was supposed to be Princess Sara’s wife, standing proud and tall together. “I’ll pretend to be waking up with Sara and then you can walk into our glorious bedroom and awaken us before getting Viktor.” 

Viktor patiently waited on the bed of rocks they had pushed together to form a ‘mattress’. It wasn’t incredibly comfortable like his real bed, but he needed something to prove he was sleeping. A stone jabbed him in the leg sharply, a contrast of the spindle that had pricked the princess’ finger in Sleeping Beauty.

“Okay, you got that Peacock Prince?” Chris nodded towards him, hands holding a stick tightly. That was his “sword”.

“Got it.” Viktor confirmed, taking place at the foot of his “bed”. “Let’s go!” 

And like a movie’s production, the children sprung to life, like actors on a stage playing a part. Chris knocked on the invisible door, making clicking sounds with his tongue against teeth, before stepping through and gently shaking the sleeping princesses.

Princess Mila and Princess Sara arose from their pretend slumber with a yawn, greeting their trusted knight. “Good morning Knight Chris.” Sara giggled politely, watching Chris carefully bow. Yuri entered the scene to bring breakfast, and Viktor waited until it was his turn to be introduced to the story.

“Good morning Prince Viktor, I have your breakfast!” Yuri smiled, and the lunchbox full of small stones and dried leaves were placed delicately at his feet. Viktor wasn’t sure where the lunchbox had come from, perhaps lost and found judging by the scrappiness of its exterior. 

He took the offering in gratitude and thanked his own servant, before pretending to eat the leaves as they were littered onto the floor. “Delicious! Thank you Yuri, this was a very good breakfast.” 

Yuri beamed like he’d been given a gold medal, and bowed as he pretended to hold open a door. “Thank you Prince Viktor! Your sister is waiting in her bedroom for the slumber party, the royal guests will arrive with their sleeping bags soon!” Yuuko stood proudly beside him, awaiting to enter the party.

And like that, it was night time, with the day ending as it began, and their royal sleepover party had commenced with all of their friends at their side. Was it realistic? Probably not, VIktor couldn’t recall any fairy tales with slumber parties in them, but it was fun so who cared? Fairytales didn’t have complex descriptions or reasons and rhymes for every event, they simply were and continued to be. Much like real life, Viktor supposed, where his vast experiences carried him 8 years. That was quite a lot for one person.

Prince Viktor— the Russian boy, laughed as he waved his magic wand—stick, commanding his magic— friends, to make him invisible— pretend. And like that, he surprised— it was planned, the royalties and nobles— his friends, by showering them in glitter, and sparkles and hope— crunches up leaves.

In a way, it felt magical, despite the dirt and dry grime that stained his skin. Throwing the leaves into the sky and watching them fall onto their heads, like sparkles from a spell that he’d personally cast. Viktor could almost fool himself into believing he’d really gone and done magic, that his etherealness was not limited to looks alone. The children shrieked in delight, throwing more leaves as they twirled. It was reminiscent of a time long ago.

With Yuuri—  
  
“With me?” Little Yuri questioned, head tilted in confusion. “What was with me?”

Viktor blanched. “Oh! The uhm, the royal breakfast!” he shouted, hands clapping like a beckon. The small blonde boy gasped, nodding so vigorously Viktor feared his head would fall off, before bowing deeply and skipping off. He returned with the lost lunchbox full of stones and leaves.

VIktor nodded absentmindedly, smiling as he accepted the box. Passing it around, he bowed to each of his friends, the offering being greatly appreciated. 

They used to play games like these, long ago. Games where they’d both be the prince from a foreign land. Yuuri’s mother had always laughed whenever he’d declare himself a royal. She’d laugh with a funny look in her eye and a knowing smile. “You are a Prince, Yuuri!” She’d coo, “All of Japan loves you!”

With Yuuri.

Viktor had played with Yuuri. They’d visit each other's houses, they’d run up and down the Katsuki’s stairs even though they’d been told to only ever walk. Viktor’s youth had giggled, dragging the quieter boy around his own home like he knew it better than he. They’d been close, inseparable. Like two peas in a pod beneath the hundreds of mattresses in The Princess and the Pea.

Viktor had learnt what fairy tales were from Yuuri, and together they’d created their own.

“Prince Viktor!” Princess Mila called out, a hand waving before his bright eyes. Viktor blinked, startled, before studying the red haired girl’s face. “We’ve begun the royal stroll through the gardens. You said you’d join us, have you changed your mind?”

“What? No! I’m coming!” Viktor hurried, steps hastening as they caught up with the rest of their group a little way away. The ‘garden’, as Mila so called it, was really the bushland that decorated the playground. There were sparse and spiky plants that had survived the dried up dirt and terrible weather, dotting the ground as they’d climbed amongst the roots of dehydrated bush.

“I think I see a magical beetle.” Called one of the girls, Yuuko, Viktor realised quickly. Before them she squatted, knees grazing dryness as she crawled. A bush was shifted, lifted slightly in order for better access to the black insect on the ground.

“We can eat it!” Yuri triumphed, turning to face Chris. The Swiss boy could only look on in curiosity, nodding his head with excitement. 

“Délicieux!” 

“I think we should protect it.” Sara chimed in, peering over at Yuuko on the ground. In her palms lay the beetle, small and oval shaped. It had quite a few legs underneath, VIktor thought he’d counted 14. In amazement, the children watched as the bug curled into itself tightly, rolling on Yuuko’s palm like a ball.

“It could grant us a wish!” Mila suggested, jumping in place. “The magic slater is here to bless us!”

“Slater?” Viktor asked, confusion written across his features, he squeaked when the bug uncurled and continued to crawl. “We call them woodlouse.”

“Yea, woodlice and woodlouse, the same thing.” Yuri turned, “In Russia it’s… uh… mokritsa! Right Viktor?” Viktor nodded, much to his friend's delight.

“Bah,” Mila waved a hand, “I don’t know all the Russian words.”

“I’ve always called them Roly Poleys.” Yuuko spoke softly, a finger petting the hard shell of the creature. “Because they roll and we like them in Japan. They’re cute.”

“Cloportes in french I think… but woodlice yeah.” Chris shrugged.

“Well I call them Pill Bugs cause… just because!” Sara moved, peering closer at the insect.

“It’s still magic.” Mila insisted, the bug in Yuuko’s palm curled once more into a ball, rolling to the center of her hand. “We gotta save it so that it can grant us a wish.”

“I say we eat it and absorb it’s magical powers, like Kirby!” Yuri grinned.

“Why don’t we just leave it in the bush?” Viktor suggested, smiling brightly when they’d all turned to him in confusion. “Obviously it lives here and probably uses it’s home to store all it’s magic spell books and stuff… What if it can’t do magic unless it’s home?” A chorus of understanding erupted amongst the group of friends, each one commenting on how what Viktor said had made sense.

And so with a quiet goodbye from each of them, Yuuko plopped the bug back in the bush.

“We should continue our royal walk Prince Viktor.” Chris hummed, a hand gesturing for him to continue leading the way. With a nod, Viktor marched, setting the pace and the path, directing the group onwards into the rest of the game.

Left foot, right foot, left foot, right — He used to play marching drills, practicing his best manners for the royal court. Yuuri’s mom and his own mom had spoken behind turned hands, a whispering laugh of delight. Perhaps they’d been laughing at the ridiculousness of it all, the absurdity or children pretending to be princes.

“Princes don’t need to march, they need to carry grace.” The shorter, more plump woman had stood up, arms up and hands held in a clasp, “Yuuri, you should practice your princely posture!”

Viktor smiled inwardly at the memory, the ghost of past figures appearing like he were there. He felt himself let slip a small chuckle, starling his consciousness into shaking his head clear. When Viktor turned to look, it thankfully appeared as if no one else had noticed. “We shall stop for a picnic here!” He declared, a foot stomping into the ground with determination.

“Oh! This is a lovely spot!” Yuuko cooed, stepping out of the formation in order to explore the shrubbery. It was nothing new, the same plants and critters as the last place they’d stopped at, but the girl had stared at their scenery with wide eyes, as if it were her first time in such a place.

“Me and Chris will go get box for food.” Yuri jumped, snatching at the Swiss’ hand.

“One, it’s ‘Chris and I’ and two, you need your article words. ‘ The box’ Yuri.” Viktor called out, waving the pair on.

“Whatever!” He laughed, watching them hurry to find their next “meal”.

“Oh, that’s what Miss taught us.” Yuuko recalled, turning to smile at Viktor. She snapped her fingers in a show of recognition. “You have such a good memory!”

“Of course! Miss Baranovskaya is very smart, and all princes need to be smart!” VIktor beamed. No one could fault that logic. 

Slowly, the remaining group of 4 cleared some space from twigs and other insects, Mila having collected a series of woodlice as she went. When there was a clearing, she’d plopped down on the ground, uncaring towards the dirt beneath her, as she pet the spaces beside her. Sara and Viktor sat at her right and left, Yuuko sitting on Viktor’s left and leaving space between her and Sara for Yuri and Chris. The children observed Mila’s little bugs with curiosity as she placed them into the center of theri open circle.

“We have the food!” Yuri shouted, running towards them and abandoning Chris. “It’s going to be really good, we found the bestest food and stuff.” The lunchbox was placed beside the bugs.

“Oh! I can’t wait!” Mila clapped her hands excitedly, delight sprawled across her face at the sight of the dried leaves and stones artfully arranged before them, “It looks so tasty! I just wanna—”

She was cut off by a shrill call that startled everyone temporarily. It was funny that no matter how often they’d all heard such a sound, the blaring chime over the school PA system always had a way of scaring them when they’d least expected it. 

And as if on cue, the sounds of the playground had grown louder, revealing all the children who’d been alerted that lunch time had ceased. Their voices grew in strength, calling like a chaotic wind as they shuffled tiny feet into the same general direction, the teacher on duty yelling above the noise to call out to any lingering children.

With matching disappointed pouts on their faces, the group slowly made to pack up, collecting their items and dusting their clothes before traversing back to their assigned classrooms. Viktor left last, doing a once over their spot for any forgotten items, and watched as the backs of his friends shrank with distance. He sighed, exhausted. Saved by the bell, or so it seemed.


	3. For Everyone

It was a cliche for children to be absolutely enamoured with the concept of fairy tales. A cliche that Yuri was proud to claim he did not fit. What sort of interest did stories have anyways, if they all had the same “once upon a time” and “happily ever after” to designate the beginning and the end? No, those sorts of stories were stupid, full of false promises and fakery; Yuri hated them with a passion.

“There no real magic, Viktor.” He would grumble, rolling his eyes and watching as the platinum haired boy would try and protest. It’d become somewhat of a mantra by then, like a catchphrase a superhero would call out. Personally, Viktor thought he was beginning to sound like a broken record.

“You too young, you know when older.” He’d explain in retaliation, because adults said that — usually with better english — all the time and it usually made sense, or so he thought. Viktor shrugged his shoulders anyway to prove his point.

“I’m not too young!” Yuri would argue, squinting his turquoise eyes into a glare. It was one of his sensitive subjects and Viktor knew it, especially whenever it’d lead to others undermining his stature. “I’m one year less you!”

“Exactly.” The older Russian pointed out, arms crossed smugly, “One year is lot, that’s um…” he paused, eyebrows furrowed to do the math mentally, “— over 600 days!”

“So what? We same year.” Yuri huffed, eyes rolling with the lack of interest before pausing to consider the facts. His face broke out into a delighted grin. “That means I’m smarter than you!”

“Sureeeee.” Viktor dragged out, unphased by the blonde boy. He knew when and how to get under his skin and may or may not have done it often in amusement. “Doesn’t mean you understand importance with fairytales and magic.”

“Do too!” Yuri pressed, “I have know, mama said.”

“Well my mama said magic and fairies do exist.” There’s a pause, followed by a suspicious curve of the boy’s mouth. “I’ve never seen fairy before but… I suppose could tell you.”

Yuri froze as Viktor continued, captivated with curiosity for the seemingly important secret that the other kept. Meanwhile, the smaller boy stubbornly remained silent, not wanting to appear interested and fool Viktor into thinking he’d been caught. After all, that would just give his friend exactly what he wanted so he waited, and he waited, and then nothing happened.

Frustrated, he caved, and the telltale smirk spread once more on Viktor’s face. “Okay tell me! What’s big deal?”

There was a mischievous sparkle in Viktor’s eyes as he leaned down to cup a hand around Yuri’s ear. “I’m actually wizard.”

Yuri frowned, clearly unamused. He’s 7, not stupid, especially if the other thought he’d get away with joking. “Wizard? Psh, yeah right.”

“Of course I am!” Viktor feigned hurt, a pout on his lips. “I’m just not allowed tell you… you know Harry Potter?”

That peaked the child’s interest. Despite his rather young age for a fourth grader, he had read the entire book series at least three times that year — and it wasn’t even April! “So what about Harry Potter?” Yuri challenged.

“Well, it’s actually true.” Viktor revealed, “J K Rowling actually witch and knew that our history would be great story in muggle world! It’s all real I swear!”

Yuri looked at his friend incredulously, never once in the three years of knowing him did he think that he’d “finally crack”. At least he thought that’s how the saying went, or so his mom had said. “You’re crazy.” He accused, “If you telling me truth then where is wand?”

For a moment, Viktor paused, the slightest of panic flashing in his blue eyes, convincing Yuri that he’s caught him out on his own game. But before anything could be said, it was gone with a blink of an eye, replaced with a smug look on his face. “Classroom of course!”

For some reason, Yuri seemed to forget the crucial detail that in the story, wizards and witches didn’t even get their wands until they were 11. “If you show me… then maybe I’ll believe you.” Yuri decided, arms folding. “But if you lying then we not friends anymore!”

“Deal.” Viktor smiled, confidence radiating off of his person. “And when I prove you magic exists, you be mad that you were wrong about fairy tales.”

“Nope, not wrong about those.” The youngster denied, shaking his head of fluffy hair. It ran the length of his back, much as Viktor’s did, only to get caught up in the buttons of his uniform as he vigorously moved. 

“But if I prove magic—“

“That’s not even point anymore.” Yuri rolled his eyes like it was obvious. “Fairytales dumb and stupid.”

“Wow, you just swore.” Viktor blanched, but he knew he wouldn’t tell; Yuri had heard him say ‘idiot’ before and didn’t mind. Apparently those were some of his parents’ favourite words. 

“Well they are! They not real! And why do they start and end the same?!” Yuri complained. It was clear that he was rather passionate about the logistics of such story structures.

“Because everything has happy ending?” Viktor guessed naively. Yuri opened his mouth to protest but decided against it.

“Sure, let's go with that — now you show me magic wand or what?” He'd become impatient, and Viktor could clearly see this, so he didn’t waste another second in nodding his head.

“Yes, but when I show you, you promise not tell anyone, that’s rule remember?” Yuri rolled his eyes, making a promise despite unbelieving towards anything the silver-head had to say anyway.

The pair of them walked across the playground as Viktor occasionally waved to the other classmates they both shared. It was a normal occurrence for other children to flock towards Viktor’s direction and thankfully Yuri was used to the strange phenomena by now. Regardless, they both continued on, each doing their best to be stealthy, when they noticed the new boy, Chris, in the distance. Yuri raised a hand to wave but they were both sneaking into their classroom before the brunette could even consider who exactly waved.

“Wait, we get trouble.” Yuri relented. He hesitated outside as Viktor readied his hand on the silver handle, the lock sliding with a click as he twisted. “Nevermind… Heck yes, let’s break and enter.”

A knowing smile widened across Viktor’s cheeks, the mischievous grin returning as he snickered. Before he knew it, the pair of them had slipped inside the darker classroom. 

3D wasn’t really anything exciting, it looked exactly the same as 3H and 3LM, minus the additional storage room that the other two had. It’s space was also slightly larger than Yuri’s previous, 2HW classroom, but that really only meant further apart desks.

Viktor navigated the classroom, weaving in between seats and chairs expertly as he located his assigned seat. It was at the furthest cluster from the front of the room, with three tables pushed together to fit 6 students.

Yuri recognised the white and blue pencil case resting atop the surface, beside a thinner and longer tube shaped case. “You show me dumb recorder?” Yuri hissed, they were on a stealth mission after all and the whole point of breaking and entering was to not get caught.

Still, he couldn’t believe he’d been tricked into something so stupid.

“Woah, another swear word?”

“‘Dumb’ isn’t swear world! You dummy!” Yuri counteracted.

“Isn’t it?” Viktor frowned, genuinely confused, “Hmm I ask my mom… but anyways, wand really here! I hid it!”

There’s a minute of fiddling as Viktor pulled the recorder case free, the plastic instrument rattling as it was laid to rest on the desk. Whoever encouraged him to join the recorder club was stupid, Yuri didn’t need his ears to bleed every Thursday morning thanks.

Once the zipper was undone however, a thin black stick fell out with a clack, rolling in place as it stilled. They didn’t speak as Yuri’s eyes widened, there was a wand.

“I told you.” Viktor smirked, picking the tool up. It had a long, thin hole in the bottom and quite a few grooves, it was also the perfect size for his hand.

Yuri reached out to grab it, frowning at the texture. Wands weren’t plastic. “Fake.” He decided, smiling sweetly at the crestfallen look upon Viktor’s face.

Lying and caught in the act, not a good look for Viktor at all.

“Not fake!” Viktor desperately attempted to salvage what he could, snatching the stick back. “It’s real. It’s got spell disguise because as I said before — muggles not allowed see!”

There’s a beat of silence as Yuri contemplated the explanation, eyes drifting from friend to plastic stick and back again. Viktor appeared serious, and he’d never lied before. It was said he was the most honest in their grade, that he’d never lie — plus he was 9, so that automatically made him more trustworthy in comparison to other kids Yuri knew.

“Okay.” He said slowly, eyeing the stick. “I believe then, magic real.” Viktor grinned widely as he pocketed the recorder’s cleaning stick. He’s rather proud of his little prank.

“Wicked!” Viktor cheered, and Yuri became all the more delighted. “I told you! I told you, magic real.”

“Well that means you now bring me lunch because you magic it.” Yuri smiled. He liked to make the most of situations you see. Viktor grew silent.

“Fine.” He agreed, it’s clear he didn’t like the suggestion. “I’ll do it but mom’s gonna mad that I use magic.”

“Yeah well you just showed me wand.” Yuri pointed out, “You show me some spells?”

Outside the classroom window, a teacher paused as she eyed the pair, giving them a knowing look in warning. “Can’t, other wizards will find out and then I get in trouble.” He smoothly explained, tugging Yuri’s hand towards the door. The teacher waiting wasn’t very happy.

“Well then you magic people suck crap!”

“Yuri Plisetsky!” 

“Another swear?!”

Yuri only shrugged his shoulders as he listened to the teacher scolding him for being ungentlemanly. He didn’t care, his dad always said far worse things and he’s still considered a gentleman. 

He did decide to elbow Viktor in the rib cage as he laughed though.

“Fudge cake?! What’s of?!” He wheezed.

“Laughing.” Yuri glared, pulling the same face for the teacher as they walked away. The woman merely shook her head disapprovingly. “It’s not fair you have magic and I don’t.”

If there was one thing Viktor knew about Yuri, it was how easily the child could become jealous, and so Viktor experimentally pushed some buttons. In the name of fun and games of course. “Well, there could be way.” He strung Yuri along, pulling out the instrument's cleaning stick from his pocket. He gave it an experimental wave, as he would a real wand, before side eyeing a rather excited Yuri.

“I can?” He demanded, “Tell me!”

Viktor laughed brightly. “You practice wand waving and spells without magic first — I tutor you how to recognise magic! Trust me, I read it in book once with my other Yuuri. And then I tell my parents to get some professional wizards to evaluate and —“

“Deal.” He cut in, not batting an eye or bothering to question who this ‘Other Yuri” could be. All that Yuri was concerned with was getting magic. “You teach me everything every lunch time and then I’ll prove I can get wand.”

Viktor stared contemplatively at his friend. It would be a good idea to end the little— rather large, joke right then and there instead of ruining his friendship, but the silver-haired relented; they’d pulled plenty of worse pranks on each other before. (He still prays that his arm will eventually recover from the time Yuri flung his, admittedly rather small, body at him, spraining his wrist oddly in the process.)

Viktor subconsciously twisted the joint in his left limb and felt a bone pop. Nope, still weird.

Still in a joke.

So the older Russian flashed a million dollar smile, the sort that ought to make girls swoon, and crossed his arms, like his mother did whenever she’d assert authority. “Okay then Yurochka, let the training begin!”. He declared, and the little boy merely nodded.

They both meant serious business.

The prospect of magic still didn’t convince him that fairytales were any better than he’d first thought — but Yuri began to believe that perhaps he could create his own beginning and end with spells instead of letting fate do all the work.

That afternoon, he’d rushed home with his mother, determination etched into his face, and the poor woman simply couldn’t work out what’s gotten her son so focused. “It’s new game mama.” He lied — Viktor had said he couldn’t tell anyone until he could prove himself worthy of magic.

That made sense, he supposed.

“New game? What’s it called?” The woman asked, unlocking the front door. Yuri was all too eager to begin practicing wand waving with the stick he’d found with his friend.

“Uhmmm…” Yuri shook his blonde head, “It's made up game me and Viktor playing.” He covered. He didn’t pay much attention to how such a thing could hold some truth — magic clearly wasn’t a game anymore!

“Viktor and I.” His mother corrected him, pushing the door open, “A game. Well so long as you keep your voice down, I’ll be preparing dinner in a few hours — and don’t forget to do your homework!”

Yuri rolled his eyes, ignoring her reminder. Once he had magic, he’d simply let it do it for him.

So he ran up the stairs and entered his bedroom. It was rather clean for someone his age but that’s only because his mother got upset when he left it a mess. There were baskets for his toys and the closet had hangers for his clothes. None of that folding business thanks.

He threw his school bag carelessly onto the floor, quickly unzipping it to procure the perfect stick he’d retrieved from the playground. Viktor had said it reminded him of his other friend’s magic wand but that was silly — he was Viktor’s only friend.

He flicked the stick upwards, curving into the air as he dragged it down. There was a certain way Viktor had demonstrated it that he wasn’t quite getting right, but he was sure that it could be corrected the next time he saw him. Yuri didn’t really understand everything as it had been explained, but it sounded complicated, and that usually meant something was true.

“Yurochka, phone!” His mother suddenly shouted from downstairs, transferring the call to the phone line in his room. The plastic receiver and machine were rather old fashioned, attached with the chains of a telephone wire at the bottom of the wall. It was a clunky thing, all too large for the boy’s small hands but rather helpful in times where he didn’t want to move. Yuri grinned at the prospect of magic — it would soon be able to take care of phone calls too.

Yuri giddly raced to the phone beside his bed, picking it up and answering the house call. He didn’t need to look at the number to know it’s — “Viktor!”

“Yuri!” a grainy voice greeted enthusiastically. He already has his own iPhone, and it was the latest one. Sometimes he’d graciously allow Yuri to play games on it when they were bored. “Have you been practising?”

“Duh.” Yuri rolled his eyes, despite knowing the other couldn't see. He’d just have to roll his eyes so much, Viktor could envision it. “I’m serious about magic you know.”

“Good. “Viktor chirped, “What about fairytales?”

“No, sitll dumb.” He sighed. “But I guess magic could make your own fairytales.”

There’d been a pause from the other end, causing Yuri to peer at the phone to check that the call was still connected. It was. “What do you mean?” Viktor asked slowly, almost apprehensively.

“Well, I only wanna learn magic so I can make my own.” Yuri explained, confused, “Isn’t that point? If something goes wrong… you can fix it.”

“You mean like… if you forget your lunch?” Viktor guessed, his voice was small.

“Well yeah.” Yuri hummed, “And homework too… but also like… if someone… hmmm… dies or something! Or if you fight with someone and then you can fix it!” he momentarily thought back to his mother and father’s argument the night before. While he didn’t understand it entirely, magic would definitely resolve the problem and make it the fairytale ending Viktor always went on about.

“We can’t do the magic anymore.” His friend burst out.

Yuri froze. Did he say something wrong? “What? Why not?” He grit his teeth, “You said so!” If this was some sudden regret on the other's behalf then Yuri wasn’t having it. A deal’s a deal after all.

“I-I know…” Viktor stumbled, and then Yuri could pick up on his hesitation. “But fairytales don’t happen with magic.”

The grip on the phone tightened as Yuri registered the words. Don’t happen with magic? What was Viktor on about? Of course they did! How else did people get happily ever afters? “What? Of course they do!” Yuri insisted, “Is… something wrong? Do not trust me anymore?”

“No!” Viktor exclaimed hurriedly. “It’s not that… I just…” he went silent.

“You’re the one always going about fairytales. If you really think that everyone get ‘happily ever after’ then only explanation can be magic.”

Viktor sighed, and with it fell a weight into Yuri’s stomach. “No...I mean… you right… fairytales are real.” The anticipation ate at him. “Everyone get ‘happily ever after’ cause my mom said so and everyone has to have good ending… but there no magic….”

No one spoke as the words hung heavily between them. Well, that was awkward.

“Of course not idiot.” Yuri snorted, biting his lip. Viktor didn’t even care to comment on his expanding dictionary of swears. “I was just playing you, like prank, magic isn’t real… and neither fairytales!” He wasn’t sure as to why he felt so distraught, after all, he’d been the one to initially take so long to fall for such a silly game. He swallowed his pride and held his breath, waiting for Viktor to take the bait.

There’s a faint gasp of relief that echoed into the receiver, which Yuri chose to pretend to ignore. “Yeah, of course you were… magic silly.” comes the hasty agreement, “But fairytale endings are real! I swear it!”

Yuri scoffed loudly, eyes squinting into an unseen glare. He’d honestly rather not talk about magic and fairy tales for a while, surprised that Viktor would be naive enough to expect him to fall for such ludicrous things again. What was the saying Mr Feltsman always said? Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. 

He could joke and banter and the other would be none the wiser. “Sure, I’ll hold you to that.” Yuri grumbled.

“Deal.” Viktor voiced up, determined.

Yuri felt slightly bad for the airhead however, because if magic didn’t exist, then there would be no way that everyone could have a “happily ever after”. Whether Viktor was really serious or as childish as he appeared, Yuri was sure that the fairytales that everyone would compare him with were beginning to take their toll on his ego. Poor Viktor wouldn’t know what hit him.

“Good.” Yuri eventually muttered, “And when one of us fail have happily ever after, that will be end.”

“Pun intended?” The air surrounding Viktor felt lighter. Lighter but off, like a bad smell too faint to truly detect. 

“Pun intended.” Yuri choked.

He’d thought that the next day would be awkward, or that there’d be a sort of tension based off of the weird weight in his own chest as he made his way to class. He was proven wrong however, when Viktor greeted him as always.

A bone crushing hug, ruffle of hair, pinch of his cheeks and a delighted “Yura!” escaping his lips. Yuri swallowed down his disappointment.


	4. His Royal Highness

Viktor sat slumped over his desk, spine curved and an arm beneath his head, demonstrating all the poise that a princely boy could have. It’d been another, boring day in which all that he’d done was go to school, learn, been given work and returned home. The day’s homework lay rest before him, ink smudged with the scrawlyness of his handwriting. He didn’t care; so long as the teacher could read it, he wouldn’t give a damn about presentation for his work any time soon.

His breath tickled his arm, causing Viktor to squirm as his other hand idly scrolled against the trackpad of his laptop. It was 4:30 in the afternoon when he eyed the screen’s clock, clicking his tongue as the little number switched from a ‘0’ to a ‘1’. Yuuko was late for their homework hour by eleven minutes, not that Viktor minded of course, he’d relished in the extra time to prepare himself a snack unlike he’d usually do. Though it was sort of sad, to be so excited by such a small change — usually it was the same pattern, the same routine — he was sure he’d go senile before long. 

It was another five minutes before the familiar chime of Skype called out to him, like a siren’s voice lulling a sailor to sea. The bee-ba-doop-ba-doop of a ringtone pulsed from his speakers, a black little window popping up with his friend’s icon. Lifting his head, Viktor reached out to hit the green button, accepting the call almost instantly. 

The screen gave way to grainy pixels and live feed of each other. Yuuko waved, the frame rates dropping with her speed. “Sorry I’m late! I was talking with my mom about something. You ready to start?”

Viktor hummed, plucked a pencil from his table and nodded, a smile etched on his face. “I’m thinking we start with the english stuff first.” He eyed said book, open and awaiting the practice of his pen on paper. 

“Yeah okay, and then work down to math.” Yuuko nodded, digging through her school bag. A crumple of papers fell as she procured her own copy of the homework. “Okay, got it! Page 24, right?”

They worked in silence for the following twenty minutes, the sounds of scratching pencils against paper being the only thing caught by their mics. After wrapping up the fourth of six problems, Viktor yawned, shoulders flexing as he stretched his arms.

“That’s why you need proper posture.” Yuuko looked up from her questions with a knowing expression plastered to her face. “For someone as magical as everyone claims you appear, you don’t really prove it.” Viktor snorted, flicking her the middle finger.

“Well fuck you too then.” Yuuko shrugged.

“It’s not like anyone’s gonna see us in like… two years.” The boy argued, no longer interested in the English work. “After that we all go to highschool and make new friends.”

“I like to think positively, but sure.” Came the reply. “Now, get the math book.” 

Another audible sigh escaped his pale lips, before Viktor pushed his body out of his wheelie chair and in front of his school bag beneath the desk. Somewhere off Camera, Yuuko could be heard reorganising her stack of books.

“Okay I got it.” He grumbled quietly.

“Same.” Yuuko said, “AND, look what else I found~” she lifted her arms up suddenly, thrusting a square shaped object in front of the camera. Viktor squinted at his monitor as the pixels settled.

“Is that a fairytale book?” He was bemused. “Aren’t you too old for that shit?” Yuuko raised an eyebrow up at him, as if to chastise the fluid cusses that spilled from his mouth. It did nothing however, if anything, only egging Viktor on. “That’s so fucking dumb.”

“You don’t remember?” A semi-crestfallen expression captivated the Japanese girl, causing her to pout. Admittedly, Viktor had no clue what she’d been on about, but decided to wait it out nonetheless. “With Miss… Russian lady, I couldn’t say her name?”

Viktor quirked an eyebrow. “Miss Baranovskaya?”

“Yes! We’d sit together and read it!” He studied the book a little more, observing the pages that Yuuko quickly flipped through. As the cover snapped shut, Viktor hummed thoughtfully, a finger pressed to his lips in contemplation. “Well?”

“I think I have a similar one actually.” he ducked away from his laptop, eyes searching the space beneath his table for any signs of a book. “Hang on, I swear I chucked it here or something. That’s where I dump useless stuff at least...” There’s a rustle amongst clutter, forgotten papers and pens littering the ground with the occasional odd book or tissue. Viktor wrinkled his nose in disgust — he’d be clearing it out later.

Yuuko waited patiently, cringing at the loud thud as Viktor’s head knocked into the wood of the desk. He groaned, a hand raising to steady himself as he dragged his body up into view once more, a callous “Got it!” calling out as he moved. Once settled in his seat, he presented the faded book that he’d claimed, cover shining diligently into his crappy camera. Now it was Yuuko’s turn to squint at blurry pixels.

The copy of fairy tales was a thin, hardcover book, perfect for smaller children. Its silver and white cover had faded and bent at the spine, sharp corners having dulled over time with a few odd spots of yellowing age. “Yeah, this thing is super old.” Viktor mused, “Can’t remember when or who gave it to me, but uuuuh, lemme check—” The book was peeled open, revealing a purple interior where the first page connected with the front. It was one of those useless pages in a book, there purely for decorative purposes and scrawly handwritten messages.

His bright eyes focus on the first page, stained with the ink of a flowy and cursive penmanship, beautiful and fantastical, just like the book. Happy 5th Birthday Viktor! He smiled, tracing the old ink with a finger as he read down the page. With love, Hiroko, Toshiya and—

Yuuri.

Viktor stared at the name, scrawled with child’s scribble, and wonky lines. It was unlike the rest of the neat message as it was sloppy and slanted, each of the letters taking more space than the rest of the words. He could make out where the pen had moved first, with the blob of ink signifying the starting point and the faded lines showing the end. The letters had been carefully constructed, not quite with any proper skill or regards for lettering, but he could see the effort put in anyway. Y-U-U-R-I. Yuuri, that’s who had given him this book. Yuuri Katsuki.

“Viktor? Vitya!” Yuuko’s voice cut through the silence, startling him in his place. The book slipped through his fingers, landing with a clatter against his keyboard as Viktor snapped his head up to sheepishly grin.

“Sorry, sorry, I got distracted.” His eyes wandered to the open pages. Rapunzel. Wasn’t that his favourite? “I just had a blast from the past…” 

“Past? Why?” Yuuko hummed, leaning closer towards her screen. The angle of her face wasn’t a particularly attractive look, but neither cared in that moment. Their interest had settled elsewhere, leaving their homework both carelessly forgotten, “What did it say?”

“Ah just a happy birthday from my friend.” Viktor swallowed, gently picking the book up to place aside, “The one who gave me the book, I haven’t seen him in a long time… since 2nd grade? Uh, he went to our school actually, do you remember him maybe? Yuuri? Yuuri Katsuki?” The conversation brought forth a sense of deja vu, but Viktor couldn't quite put his finger on the familiarity.

“Oh!” Yuuko squealed, hands clapping excitedly, “Yes! I know who you mean! He moved to Hasetsu didn’t he? My mom and his mom talked a lot last time they came for a visit.” Viktor stilled, eyes wide.

He hadn’t truly expected anyone to remember Yuuri, after all he’d gone just as quickly as he’d started school, but for Yuuko, someone he’d know for so long, to actually have memories of his childhood friend? It was bizarre, how had they’d never had this conversation before? And yet… “He… came here? For a visit?” Viktor frowned. Why hadn’t he been told?

“Yeah!” Yuuko affirmed, nodding her head, “Maybe two years ago? What’s his mom’s name? Hiroko?”

“Yeah, Hiroko.” But he’d always called her Okaasan.

“She was here too. Very nice lady.” Yuuko sighed, “It’s a shame they had to go back to Hasetsu. Royal Biz and all that.” Viktor did a double take, eyes blown wide as he processed her claims.

“What?” He squawked, certain he’d heard wrong. “I think you’re audio cut out.” His fingers twitched at the keyboard, antsy.

“Did you know he’s a prince?” Yuuko gushed, a hand waving as if she hadn’t noticed his surprise, “Oh I mean duh, you’re his friend Of course. It’s a shame though, that he was forced to leave because of it, don’t you think? Though it does paint a lovely picture for you both! A real live prince and his fairytale prince friend!”

His chest shuddered as his heart pounded tightly within his chest. He’d have liked for Yuuko to have been playing a joke on him, hell, he was almost ready to call her out on it then and there, but Viktor knew Yuuko, had for a few years, and there was never once a time that she’d given him a reason to doubt her.

You’re his friend. 

Well, Viktor thought so at least, but if what she was saying was true, and yes, Viktor wanted to believe every word of it, then perhaps he really couldn’t call himself that anymore. “Ah yeah, That’s why he moved.” Viktor played along, his heart shaped smile a little more forced than usual. Even if it were obvious, Yuuko didn’t seem to notice. “That’s also why everyone called me a magic boy when we were younger, obviously. You know? ‘Cause he was the real prince and I looked like a mythical one or whatever.”

He moved his hands slightly, opening a new browser on his laptop before punching in letters. It wasn’t hard to google or fact check if Yuuri really were a Prince — he believed Yuuko! — but just to be sure, then it’d be there if he searched. He hit enter and held his breath, for once cursing the slow internet. When the page had loaded, he’d scanned for articles and wikipedia pages, eager to find an answer. 

He got one.

Had his mother known? How long had she known? Why hadn’t she ever told him? Did Yuuri know that his fate was sealed the moment he was born? That his friendship with Viktor would have a timely end due to the mere fact that he was of royal blood? But they had to have known. Of course. No wonder Okaasan had known so much about fairy tales back then, if Yuuri was the prince then she was the Queen! Viktor felt stupid, foolish even, that his life could have been the happily ever after he’d dreamed it could be.

He released the breath of air that he’d held.

And yet only the boy who looked fae could have possibly faced such a problem in his life. To imagine what he’d say to people when they’d ask about his first childhood friend. “Yeah, we were close, but stupid royal life got in the way and he had to attent actual princely duties.” He could almost laugh at the fact that it was a real possibility, that he could claim he had serious beef with the royal family of Hasetsu for taking their son away to attend royal duties. Like you know, no biggie.

What was his life?

“Aww, that’s so cute! A Princely Pair!” Yuuko gushed, hands squishing her cheeks in adoration. Right here, right now in the present moment, everything was suddenly falling into place, in a weirdly discombobulated way. “You guys must be close, huh?” Her face broke out into a bubbly laugh.

The book lay rest against the pile of homework he should have been doing, but Viktor couldn’t find it in himself to begin working again. Even as Yuuko slowly drifted the conversation elsewhere, from princes into prime numbers, he drowned it all out, blankly staring and responding with sufficient noises. He touched the cover, hesitantly.

“Yeah.” Viktor swallowed, his voice low and throat restricted, “Super close.”


	5. Turn Over

“Minako Sensei gave me extra homework and it’s not fair!” Mila whined, shuffling in her seat restlessly. Her chin was propped up by her hand as she stared into her webcam, eyeing her friends in the corner of her peripheral.

“You did throw the homework sheets into the bin.” Yuuko pointed out, eyes downcast and off camera. In the corner, Viktor smiled amused, watching his friends bicker between each other. He wouldn’t get in the way, he’d learnt his lesson from the last time he’d tried to resolve unbroken tension — he concluded from his experiences that girls were very weird.

“But I didn’t know!” The Russian girl whined, flopping back into her desk chair, the extra homework remained untouched as she glared at it uneasily. “How was I supposed to know that that paper was homework?!”

“I’m actually jealous of you.” Viktor sighed, chewing his pen. A dangerous comment amongst the two girls who’d been chattering, but he was beginning to feel bored of the same complaints over and over again. It had been rather well known that the ethereal Russian boy loved to keep busy after all, never satisfied with keeping still. He paused his talking to look away, yelling something foreign into the background with a sigh. “Sorry, parents again.” He grumbled.

“Dude, aren’t they like… getting a divorce?” Chris asked. He’s probably the closest to Viktor out of all six of them, and had far more patience than most. It was also why he’d waited until then to make an entrance into the conversation, knowing fully well when his comment was best appreciated.

“Yep. I just can’t wait till the yelling stops.” 

Yuri hummed absentmindedly as he scribbled out words for his poem. It wasn’t the homework he’d been assigned but he was rather thankful to be busy anyway, not really caring so much about the ongoing discussion. “Cool.” he uttered, trying his best to be present, but it’s fruitless and everyone could so clearly see it. Everyone except Yuri of course, who thought he’d done a good job at hiding his lack of care.

It’s not that he hated Viktor with every fibre of his being, Yuri isn’t one to be that merciless. He simply didn’t enjoy the other’s presence, just as you wouldn’t enjoy one thing over another. Favouritism perhaps, or maybe Yuri was just super judgmental in regards to people’s appearances and Viktor’s so clearly DIY patch up shirts and pants in contrast to his mythical aura were what prompted him to think like that.

So he tolerated Viktor and didn’t think much of their entire friendship group as a whole; big whoop. As far as anyone else was concerned, he was actually infatuated with Viktor Nikiforov, wanting to be inseparable at the hip like when they were much younger, which couldn’t be further from the truth as he’d discovered years ago when they’d play. He didn’t want to be seen as manipulative or mean, even if deep down it’s every bit of those words combined, but Yuri stayed in denial regardless. Better to be tough than stepped on, after all.

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

“Okay I seriously need to finish my math stuff.” Sara piped up, brow furrowed as she carried the conversation to its conclusion. Her pencil scratches against paper had paused, cluttering as she laid it to rest on her table. “And to do that, I need quiet time, so see you guys tomorrow okay?”

There was a silence as the group sheepishly shrugged, almost guilty for having disturbed the one person who’d actually been trying to work. The standard chorus of goodbyes followed from the rest of them soon after, and with a beep of a tone and cheery wave of a hand, she disappeared from Skype, her profile fading out and disappearing along with her voice.

“We really should be getting to work.” Yuuko said, head bowing to read her papers. Mila groaned loudly, the microphone of her earbuds practically engulfed in her mouth, causing Chris to physically jump in surprise at the sheer volume of such sound.

“Mon Amie, that was way too loud.” He pouted.

“What’s deal you crazy Baba?!” Yuri spluttered, face reddening.

“The, Yuri. You forgot the word ‘the’” Viktor hummed.

“Oh screw you!”   
Yuuko snorted from her side of the call, continuing her work casually.

“I don’t wanna do this extra stuff thoughhhhhh!” Mila whined, head slapping the table as she released more sounds of protest. She shook her head diligently, messing up her red hair as she screeched, arms flailing as she knocked away her homework books.

From his place, Viktor withheld the smirk threatening to creep up onto his face. If only he’d had something to do for the afternoon instead of staring blankly at his friends doing things. They’d all known each other for a little while now, having met not too long ago, and Viktor was finally excited that he could perhaps keep some friends of his own. Not that no one had ever wanted to be his friend of course, he was well renowned amongst their school, but finding more people aside from Yuri or Chris who didn’t think he was some magical Prince? That felt good.

If only they were free to actually do something. Like playing minecraft.

Occasionally, Viktor wondered if they’d continue to skype during highschool, and keep up with their regular meetings when possible. It’s an odd sort of thought, mainly because it was silly to worry about something so far into the future, but no matter how often he’d tell himself to not focus on such things, it kept coming back to him like an obsession. He expected a big change, something that would ruin everything he knew, something that he’d anticipated almost everyday since he’d met them. When their group would leave and he’d be alone. 

It was a pessimistic and depressing pattern, circling around and around his head like a dizzying spell. Some days the worrisome insecurities could be quieter, others it was loud, far too loud and everyone could just tell that something wasn’t right. And here was where he was conflicted, like the little mermaid choosing between land and the sea, because Viktor didn’t actually hate these new friends of his, not like he thought he would have, and although he was used to saying goodbye, it would still hurt.

Like a curse and a blessing all rolled into one, he felt trapped and liberated with every minute that counted down.

“I should get going too, I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” He found himself saying, a hand ready to press the button to end their call. He received the same pleasantries and cheerful goodbyes as Sara had, and returned the sentiment once more before tracing a finger over his new laptop. With a click, he disconnected from their call and gently slapped the lid of the clamshell device, shutting it closed as he breathed out a heavy sigh of tension.

Slumping back into the curve of his chair, his toes skimmed the floor of his room, pushing him around in an endless spiral. The bedroom spun, faster and faster as he took delight in the sensation of twirls, almost laughing himself sick in the moment. As the chair slowed to it’s stop, so did the short peak of adrenaline that’d come with it, wearing thin as quick as it’d come. Viktor planted his heel into the ground, a pout pulling at his lips, before he sighed and threw himself upwards. 

The digital clock laying precariously on his desk beeped twice, signifying the change of an hour. And, like in tandem, his name echoed throughout the house with the shrill ghost of the latest family discourse.

“VIKTOR NIKIFOROV IT’S DINNER TIME!” His mother would scream.

“Coming!” He’d yell back, but knew that she’d never hear him over his father’s strong voice and her own squeaky screams.

Viktor crept his way to the kitchen, head bent down and body clung close to the walls. It was best he did that for the sake of avoiding yet another confrontation, still shaken from the last time he’d fallen trap to the sight of his yelling parents. 

He hated the way things always turned out, usually only ending much later the following morning. Viktor could recall a time that his mother hadn’t stopped screaming for a day and a half, and when she’d gone quiet it’d been because she’d passed out on the bed. Viktor’s father didn’t sleep in the same bed, let alone the same room as his mother. It was one of those tell tale signs of the inevitable end. The couch had a new dent, no longer of three butts but one body. 

It was sad, Viktor thought to himself as he skirted around the couple, sad that their fairytale ending would be no more. It was a shame to see proof that not everything could end as well as the book in his room. It sort of reminded Viktor of his own insecurities and friends.

By the stove laid rest a giant pot, filled with what looked to be some weird pasta his mother had thrown in. The foods he’d eaten lately were of this sort, the easy kind that wasn’t too hard to mess up while arguing. He missed family meals, and he missed when they’d all sit together eating good food like borscht and pirozhkis. He wanted the yelling to stop. 

Viktor filled a plate with the bland pasta before silently making his way back to his room. He wasn’t supposed to be eating there, his mother always fritted about ants getting to any leftovers if he so happened to leave behind crumbs. Viktor supposed it made sense, but he found that he just didn’t care — for now she was a busy woman, too busy yelling with her soon to be ex-husband to notice, so tonight, and all the other night’s that this had been going on for, could be an exception. Their son was probably the last thing on either of their minds anyways.

His food was placed gently on the ground, where he sat cross-legged and silent. He could still hear them, no matter how quiet and discrete they thought they’d been and his door did nothing to prevent noise. With the scrape of cutlery, Viktor sighed and began to eat.

Opposite his bedroom wall was a bookshelf filled primarily with school books and the like. It was a tall shelf, divided into eight individual cube-like shelves, separated by planks of white wood bought from IKEA. Each cubicle was dedicated to a theme, be it schoolwork, fiction or nonfiction, there was an order and system unlike anything else he owned. In the middle row, the left column, was a section dedicated to his infamous obsession with fairytales, newly restored after some dedication. A few were worn out but others appeared new — Viktor stared long and hard at them as he chewed through the rubbery pasta. 

He swallowed.

Life wasn't a fairytale. That was the fact that Viktor had struggled to comprehend. The very idea that some balance in the world that made everything fair didn’t exist was only becoming more and more apparent. Now, Viktor realised, there had to be explanations and decisions and logic for every thought and move. Now it was time he divided the fiction from real, closing the book of his make believe stories. Viktor had thought for years that he could expect to gain when he’d give. That good would triumph evil. That people met people, fell in love and had their own happily ever afters. He clearly couldn’t have been further from the truth. 

As he scraped at the remains of the food in his plate, suddenly overcome with a loss of appetite, he thought back on what currently was and what wasn’t. People changed. Life changes. This moment, these friends, this family, would merely become another chapter in his autobiography.

And Viktor turned the page.

At first, all of the fears and anxieties appeared to be merely that; unnecessary fears. He walked through the school gates with Chris at his side, and the comfort of independence in his chest as he welcomed the newer, bigger school. Yes, there was a weight of anxiousness, but that’d slowly slipped away, left to be replaced by the newer, more excited appeal of a fresh chapter.

He’s okay, he’s surviving, going though highschool like a breeze. There weren’t many kids that Viktor recognised and so Chris and he had stuck together for most of their first year, becoming even closer friends than their previous two years of friendship had let them.

At home, their friend group Skyped on a regular bases, much to his surprise, and they met once a week outside Yuuko’s family cafe. Together they’d do homework, and compare the work loads of their different schools, all the while Viktor relished in the excuse of leaving his home life for a few hours. Their conversations would more or less follow the same pattern, each person taking it in turns to talk about the latest craze going on for themselves. For Viktor, he’d always begun with a discussion of his coEd school, the stark differences in people and their walks of life. Never did he mention how or why he’d decided to cut his hair, the beautiful silvery locks shorn one day without much of an explanation. Viktor couldn’t really find the words to explain that what they’d once found fantastical was now deemed “gay” anyway. So he’d begin with school, but talk of the place never lasted long for he prefered to rant or make fun of his parent’s divorce.

So yeah, Viktori felt bad about the constant preaching that everyone would drift away and the group would fall apart. Those months of constant worrying and fears really seemed to be wasteful energy at this point. He even went out of his way to apologise for the brash things he had said out of guilt. Whether anyone seemed to actually for it was another question, but at least Yuri had appeared somewhat appreciative. Chris reassured him afterwards that it wasn’t any worry, his friends had understood, and so with that, they had flipped over a leaf and continued as they were.

The key word was that this had happened — at first.

It had only been once or twice in the beginning, no one really noticed because hey, everyone was busy at times, but soon once or twice became every second week, and then that turned to every day, and the first of six members had disappeared. Mila was busy, that’s what she’d always said at least. Between juggling her new friends and her new extracurricular activities, there was barely any time left for the old friend group in her timetable.

It was a sort of heavy weight that pinned to their video calls for a while afterwards, with the clearly empty spot and the imbalance of the remaining 5, Viktori had felt inclined to say “I told you so” but refrained. And so Mila had fizzled out within less than half a year.

“Oh Viktor! Are you going to join us at the pool? Please come!” Yuuko had practically begged, being the first to join the Skype call that he had connected to. No one else was with them at that moment, the remaining three having planned to join at a much later time. Viktor was only thankful that Yuuko was free to alleviate his boredom.

“The pool? Was this planned last minute or something?” He’d asked, wanting for some reason, to feel hurt before an explanation could be given.

“Yeah, I just texted Yuri, he said he could come. Sara and Chris will too! And… I’d ask Mila but we already know the answer to that so… anyways, you coming?”

Viktor paused to consider the offer, cringing at the loud screaming his mother had been doing since he’d gotten home. The pool would for certain be a nice way to brush off the pressures at home; which was almost ridiculous seeing as his mother didn’t even live with his father anymore. “I’ll look into it.” Viktor shrugged slowly, eyes downcast for a minute, “I hate being here anyway, all my mom does is call my dad and yell with him on the phone, like what even was the point of divorce?”

“Well, then the pool is a great way to avoid that!” Yuuko grinned, hands clapping, “Do I take this as a yes?”

Viktor frowned, bottom lip tucked between his teeth as he pulled up his timetable to observe. The echo of a ping, far earlier than either two had anticipated, echoed into the call. There’s static and shuffling, the sign of a new coming moving about and adjusting surrounding to better fit their needs. The small grunts of confusion instantly give away that Chris is the newcomer. Viktor clicked his tongue, eyes scanning the timetable while he waited for the Swiss boy to say something. Meanwhile, Yuuko busied herself with her phone.

“Sure! I haven’t gone in ages!” he pretended to cheer when it became apparent that Chris wouldn’t speak unless spoken to.

“What is this? The pool?” Came the other boy, right on cue as if predictable. He’s answered with a hum from Viktor and a squeal from their friend.

“Viktor can come! Ah I can’t wait! They installed a new slide last month too!” Apparently Yuuko tended to visit the pool after school, as it’d become a new hobby of her’s. She’d even gotten a membership card, which only very rich and dedicated people could get. When asked, Yuuko had explained it was a gift from her mom.

“So what time do we meet?” Viktor asks openly, idly dragging his mouse across his laptop’s screen. They were still waiting on the last few stragglers, who had messaged their new group chat that they’d be ready in a few minutes. 

“Uh 12 we agreed I think?” Chris recalled, grinning. “Can they hurry up already? I wanna play minecraft!”

“Same here, and I wanna show Viktor the new house I made for us! It has two stories and an extra room for your doggies.” 

“Oh! Makkachin has a room! That’s awesome!” Viktor grinned. Minecraft was a very serious game for very serious gamers.

It was unfortunate that this was what they’d reduced themselves too, no longer being able to see each other every day. A small part of Viktor had somehow felt indifferent to it all.

Oh well, it’d have to do until their swimming day.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay! Things I never will or did cover because I grew tired and sad halfway through wrting this:
> 
> \- Viktor and Yuuri meet years later in highschool and become friends again.  
> \- Yuuri has to go back to Japan for his royal duties (I know Japan dosnt have the exact monarchy but this is how I'm going about it) But they stay friends.  
> \- They develop the f e e l s for each other.  
> \- Ultimately they never say anything and split ways  
> \- Until years later AGAIN where they confess and live happily ever after (This last point is where reality diverges into story)


End file.
